New York firm CetraRuddy unveils the city’s biggest office-to-residential conversion.
CetraRuddy has transformed 25 Water Street into SoMA, the largest office-to-residential conversion in New York City history, creating 1,320 apartments and adding a 10-story rooftop extension. The project utilized the city’s $467-million housing tax incentive to incorporate affordable units, introducing 100,000 square feet of amenities, including pools, a bowling alley, and artist studios as part of a broader push to repurpose office buildings.
YoungArts’ Emily Waters takes over as Executive Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham.
Emily Waters has been appointed Executive Director of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham, and will assume the role on February 17. A former professional dancer with the Philadelphia and Royal Danish Ballet companies, she later built a career in nonprofit arts leadership, most recently as Senior Director of Innovation & Impact at YoungArts. Waters will work alongside Artistic Director Kyle Abraham to advance A.I.M’s mission of championing Black and Queer stories through dance, following the five-year tenure of her predecessor, Sydnie Liggett-Dennis.
Dauphinette founder Olivia Cheng has won the CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Innovation Grant.
Olivia Cheng of Dauphinette has won the 2025 CFDA/Genesis House AAPI Design + Innovation Grant, securing an additional $60,000 on top of the $40,000 she previously received. Tasked with creating a three-look collection inspired by Asian culture and heritage, Cheng and fellow finalists Bach Mai and Kozaburo Akasaka gained mentorship from industry leaders and traveled to Seoul for inspiration. At the awards ceremony, CFDA CEO Steven Kolb reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to diversity, ensuring continued support for AAPI designers amid industry-wide DEI rollbacks.
Mugler creative director Casey Cadwallader is reportedly stepping down this year.
Casey Cadwallader is reportedly preparing to exit his role as creative director of Mugler, with a departure possible by springtime. Since joining in 2018, he modernized the house’s signature bold aesthetic, dressing global celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé while still aiming to honor founder Manfred Thierry Mugler’s legacy. His rumored exit aligns with Mugler’s absence from the provisional Paris Fashion Week schedule, though the brand has yet to confirm his departure.
Behind Seaport’s “leaning tower,” delays, shoddy workmanship, and organizational chaos.
An exposé on the ill-fated 1 Seaport residences, spearheaded by Fortis Property Group, reveals that the project was plagued by a risky foundation choice, safety violations, and legal battles. Built on unstable landfill instead of bedrock, the tower began leaning, prompting desperate mid-construction corrections that only worsened its misalignment. With construction halted since 2020, the unfinished skyscraper stands as a monument to poor planning, financial ruin, and the dangers of cutting corners in Manhattan’s high-stakes real estate market.
Today’s attractive distractions:
The new opera and ballet house of Kosovo emulates a ballerina tutu.
Designers and architects wax poetic on famous New York City apartments.
This is everything you need to know about the 2025 Met Gala inspiration and co-chairs.
Despite naysayers, the first car-free neighborhood in the U.S. is doing fine.
